re: #17 Decatur Deb
Remembering that a digital image is just a long string of on/offs, it will be archival as long as we can maintain the integrity of the copied string. That would include any not-yet-invented medium. I suppose you could engrave a string onto a diamond and retrieve it.
While in theory that is correct, consider this: instead of a box of old photos, I find a box of floppy disks with the pictures. Can I retrieve them?
And what about 10 years from now?